Aural Polyps in Otolaryngology: Clinical Incidence and Therapeutic Outcome

Abstract

Background: The Ear is an essential human organ that performs the unique sense of hearing and balance and communicates with the rest of the world. Any ear disease disrupts daily life. An aural polyp is a sequela of various chronic ear diseases. These diseases include chronic otitis media, which may be mucosal or squamous; long-term, unknown foreign-body impaction in children's ears; and neoplastic conditions, such as rhabdomyosarcoma in children and carcinoma in adults. The patient has been suffering for prolonged periods, and the parents of the children attend to the physician when there is discharge, earache, or hearing loss. In rural areas, the elderly and children are neglected due to a lack of knowledge of ear hygiene.

Method: The study was conducted in the Otolaryngology Department of Comilla Medical College (https://www.cumc.edu.bd) and Comilla Medical Center (https://www.comillamedicalcentre.com), Bangladesh, from January 2018 to December 2022.

Result: Females (72%) and children (67.7%) are more sufferers. 71% live in rural areas, and 77.4% are poor; most patients, 41.9%, presented with ear discharge, blockage, and hearing loss, and 48.4% had a clinical diagnosis of mucosal otitis media with a polyp, 48.4% cases were treated with polypectomy and examination of the ear under magnification. The mean age was 20.5161±20.5127 years; the mean follow-up in months was 29.00±15.872; the GHQ mean was 22.6774±2.5084; and the MAAS mean was 32.3236±2.3293. Univariate analysis of the GHQ total showed significant variables were sex*treatment, P=.009; age category, P=.003; age category*treatment, P=.003; and sex*diagnosis, P=.009. MAAS total revealed that sex*symptoms, P=.040, sex*diagnosis, P=.005, sex*treatment, P=.005, age category, P=.010, and treatment, P=.036. Follow-up showed that the follow-up category with sex, P <.001; age category with SES, P=.050; age category with symptoms, P=.014; age category with diagnosis, P=.032; and age category with treatment, P=.032.

 Conclusion: Aural polyp is a term or misnomer for some disease conditions of the ear that must be evaluated after taking proper history, examinations, and investigations. An appropriate diagnosis confirms the disease pattern and helps the patients receive treatment.